Chuck Vs The Game
by Theninjamang
Summary: Every teenager says their lives aren't normal, but when high-school junior Chuck Bartowski inherits a government-grade super-computer, his life becomes far from normal. He's going to learn the hard way that being a spy isn't as fun he thought it would be, and that getting the girl isn't easy, especially when she could kick his butt blindfolded.
1. Level 6

Chuck Vs. High School.

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck. **_

_**Well, since my crossover fic didn't go too well, I decided to stick to what I knew I wrote a vanilla Chuck fic. Only, it's not Vanilla, because he's in high school. **_

_**So have a read, and tell me if it's worth working on! :D**_

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><p><strong>Chapter One: vs. The Game. <strong>

The shrieking of an alarm rudely roused Chuck from his mediocre sleep. With his face still buried in his pillow, he stuck a hand out to his bedside table and found his iPhone, the source of the piercing sound. Still not lifting his head out of the pillow, he fumbled around with the touch-screen till he turned the alarm off. He knew from the alarm that it was 7:30. He also knew that any second now, his big sister Ellie would come barging in through his bedroom door, in her baby blue Mavericks Cheerleaders uniform, and a bouncing brunette pony-tail, to do the job that his iPhone alarm failed to do.

"Chuck! Get out of bed Chuck, come on!" she yelled as she burst through his door, and laid two hands on him and began to shake him violently.

He did nothing but mumble and groan, the duvet provided a much better option than the world outside it offered.

"Chuck, come on! We have to get to school!" still shaking him.

"Fine! Ellie, I'll get out of bed!" he grumbled.

Reluctantly, he swung his two lanky legs out into the morning air, a tingle going through his skin as he did so. Ellie stood up and began lecturing him as she walked out into the hallway, Chuck just ambled behind her, pretending that he was listening.

"Look, Chuck, I know that getting up every morning is something that no one wants to do, but you-"

The rest of her sentence was cut off by the sound of his door closing on her and the clicks that followed as Chuck locked it. That defiant act bought him a few minutes of serenity in his cosy bed, but being a 16 year old Junior in high-school, he'd take what he could get.

Eventually, Chuck gathered enough courage to get himself out of bed and get ready. He took a quick shower, threw on a pair of jeans and a red hoodie, and tied the laces on his black Converse shoes. It was his own self-assigned uniform, wearing that same combination with little variation every week. When he walked into the kitchen, he saw that Ellie was sitting at the dining table, eating a bowl of Cheerios.

"There you are!" she exclaimed. "Quick, quick, eat your breakfast, Devon's going to be here soon!" mentioning that her boyfriend was giving them a lift.

"So Casey's not driving us to school?" he asked, noticing the not-so-surprising absence of their guardian.

"No, he's on another business trip." she explained.

After Chuck and Ellie's parents died on one of their many overseas trips, their last wills dictated that a guardian was to look after them until Chuck was 18. Realistically, they didn't need a guardian, as Ellie was already 18 and she'd already been caring for Chuck for as long as he could remember. At the reading of their parents will, however, Chuck had met the person that would be their guardian for as long as he was still a minor.

John Casey.

Apparently, he was their next of kin, a distant relation that their parents had specified. They argued against it at first; the two Bartowski siblings were so closely knit that they knew they might as well just live by themselves. But when they laid eyes on their prescribed guardian, they knew it was redundant to try. He was an imposing man, held himself in a military manner, which was expected of someone who was a Sergeant in the U.S Marine Corps. When he was at home, which wasn't often, there wasn't much communication that would pass between him and Chuck. Just grunts and grumbles. Today, like many other days, Casey wasn't here to give them a ride in his prized Crown Victoria. So it left an open gap for Ellie's boyfriend to drive them to school.

When they'd both finished quickly eating their breakfast, Chuck grabbed his precious messenger bag, and followed Ellie out the front door into the courtyard of their apartment complex. As they walked out onto the street to wait for Devon, or Captain Awesome as he'd liked to be called, Chuck spotted the scrawny build, and greasy black hair of Morgan, his best-friend.

"Hey Chuck!" he waved. "Oh, and Ellie, beautiful as always." Morgan hopelessly flirted.

"Morgan, no!" Chuck scolded. "We've been through this." he said through the side of his mouth.

"Yeah, please Morgan, it's kinda weird." she added.

"What are you doing here anyway buddy? Your Mom busy or something?"

"I didn't want to wake her and the guy she's been… dating" he gulped, disgusted at the thought of it.

"You're in luck man, Captain Awesome's driving us today." reassuring him that he wouldn't have to deal with Casey.

Ellie found the prospect of Morgan riding with them a bit unsettling, but seeing as her boyfriend was the Quarterback of their school's football team, she was certain that he'd behave. A look of disappointment dropped on Morgan's face the moment that he heard that Ellie's boyfriend was the one driving them to school, as he's always had a crush on Ellie. It wasn't apparent to Devon, but Morgan hated his guts. Well… he tried to hate his guts. Devon lived up to his self-proclaimed title, he was truly and completely, awesome. No one could hate him.

"Here he comes now!" said Ellie before turning sharply to Morgan. "Behave okay? I don't want a repeat of last week." she scolded him.

"He started it!"

"Buddy, he just had his arm around my sister." noted Chuck.

"Exactly! He can't just do that!" chopping down into his palm for emphasis.

"You threw a can of Grape Soda at him."

"Both of you shh!" ordered Ellie.

A red Jeep pulled up in front of them, revealing Devon in his deep blue Mavericks football jersey in the drivers seat.

"Hey babe!" he deeply intoned. "Chuck! Awesome to see you dude. Oh and Morgan too!"

"Hey honey." kissing him on the cheek. "Sorry about him," gesturing at Morgan. "he just turned up."

"Nah, it's awesome! Yeah, get in here little guy!" he proclaimed.

Chuck pushed himself up against the side door, and buckled his seat-belt. Morgan, with a fake look of disinterest on his face, clambered up into the jeep and closed the door.

"Alright, everybody strapped in?" asked Devon, looking in his rear-view.

After confirming that they'd all buckled up, Devon veered the car onto the road, and began to make his way towards Lincoln Senior High. Knowing that Devon would most likely turn on his stereo system, Chuck instinctively pushed two ear-buds into his ears, and plugged them into his iPhone. Selecting his Music app, he scrolled down the list till he found the song he was craving for. "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" by Cake, and let it play as he was driven through the streets of Echo Park.

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><p>His school day started like normal. Reporting to home-room, the Monday announcements being read out over the P.A. After which, Mrs. Grahams, his home-room teacher took roll-call.<p>

"Jeffrey Barnes?" she called out, reading the first name on the list.

There was no reply, which was expected like a rainbow after a sun-shower. Jeff was the epitome of uncoordinated. Chuck was certain, sitting in his uncomfortable wooden chair, that Jeff had probably just realised that he was late for school, and was most likely quite literally rolling out of bed. For a change, Chuck was betting on seeing his beanie clad head stumble through the door, with his wispy straw-coloured hair coming out in tufts out of his beanie. Alas, his guesses were overruled by the inevitable tardiness of Jeff Barnes.

"No surprise there, uh… Chuck Bartowski?"

"Present." stated Chuck.

For the remainder of the roll-call, Chuck zoned out. All he was looking forward to was getting to Computer Tech class, which was the first class he'd have today. A shrill ringing knocked him back into reality. Morgan, who was sitting next to him the entire time, got up and waited for Chuck to scoop his bag up and walk to class.

"Every time man. Jeff always shows up late!" Morgan exclaimed.

"It wouldn't be Jeff without it man. Just think, the world would probably spin the other way 'round before he got normal." Chuck joked.

The two walked towards the door that led into the hallway outside, and found a sea of students gradually tottering past.

"Oh man! Every morning, the hallway's always so packed!" complained Morgan, lifting his hand to point out the obvious crowd that was shuffling through the corridors of Lincoln High.

"One of the many pains of high school man." Chuck stated.

Slowly, he turned to look at Morgan, feeling theatrical at this opportunity.

"See you on the other side." he said dramatically, before leaving Morgan to stand there and watch him get engulfed by the passing crowd.

Given his considerable height, Chuck found it challenging to weave himself towards the computer labs. He did however, have a good view of everything in front of him. His goal, the staircase that led to the second level, was straight ahead, and he tried his best to get there without pushing anybody out of the way. Until a glistening blonde head stopped him dead in his tracks. It was only a glimpse, but passing across the hallway that intersected the one he was in at that moment, was a girl, possibly new, with shining blonde hair, and two slim lips pursed together in concentration. To him, it went like one of those cliché movie scenes where time seemed to lengthen at the brief sight of her. An imaginary spotlight followed her across that hall, and even though it was all in his head, she still out shined it. It took a shove from a passer-by to get him out of yet another of his day-dreams, every bone in his body pushed him to forego getting to class early to follow her, but his brain overruled it. The chances that a girl like that existed, and wanted to talk to a guy like Chuck were about as slim as Olivia Wilde tapping him on the shoulder and asking him out to a movie. It didn't change the fact that she was absolutely amazing. Chuck wasn't one to believe in love at first sight, but that girl, the blonde with shining hair, would change all of that.

The labs were empty when Chuck walked in, and that included the absence of Mr. Larkin, his favourite teacher. Pulling his messenger bag out over his head, Chuck took a seat at a workstation, and booted the close-to-outdated computer up. Eventually, the class began to fill up, and when the entire class was almost here, Mr. Larkin paced in, looking worse for wear. His shirt was crumpled, and the shoulder bag he was carrying had a few papers sticking out of it. Strands of his black hair fell around his youthful face, which was sporting a very apparent five-o'clock shadow. Chuck was worried for him. Not only was he his favourite teacher, but Mr. Larkin was a very close friend of Chuck's late father. When Mr. Larkin was going through college, Chuck's dad was his professor, and the two of them had collaborated on some extremely advanced technology. Most of it went into the government, and never made it into the public, but the work that they did was rumoured to be game changing.

However, his rushed appearance didn't change the fact that this class was the only thing standing between Chuck and insanity; it balanced him out in a way. Whenever he was in here, the world around him achieved a natural balance.

"Alright class, for this lesson, just go on with your databases." Mr. Larkin announced in a dishevelled voice. "Umm, Chuck, you can come up and collect that game we worked on, look through the changes I made." he said, singling him out quite nervously.

This was the cherry that topped the sundae. Now Chuck was definitely worried something was wrong with him. Granted, he never worked on what the class was doing, given his extensive knowledge of IT, but the quivers in his voice spoke multitudes about his situation. As he got up and approached him, he saw him trying to maintain a calm and level attitude, but the way his eyes shifted from side to side resembled that of a paranoid mouse that was being chased by a hungry cat. Chuck reached for the deep blue hard-drive case that was clutched in Mr. Larkin's hands. Just when he was about to close his hands around the case, his hand shot forward and pulled Chuck closer to him. The smell of sweat and anxiety assaulted Chuck's nose, causing him to think of every possible reason why he was like this. Was there a fall in with the school? Was he on the verge of losing his job? Or was it something to do with the work him and Chuck's father did?

"You haven't let anyone else see what you've worked on have you?" he harshly whispered.

"To be honest sir, no one's cared enou-"

"You need to be careful Chuck." he interrupted.

"Are you alright? I mean, it's just a game." Chuck asked.

"Yes, yes. I'm okay." he clearly lied. "You take this with you," holding up the case, "and you'll find instructions in the graphics coding on Level 6."

"Instructions? Sir, I thought you made changes to it already?"

His eyes began to dart more suddenly now, looking out the window, into the hallway, and even scanning the faces of every other student in the class.

"Just take the hard-drive Chuck. In class, work on every other level, but level 6. Then, take it home, never let it leave your sight. When you're sure that you're alone, plug it into your computer and open the coding for level 6." he instructed in the clearest voice that his current state let him do.

Without another word, Mr. Larkin shoved the case into Chuck's hoodie pouch, and sent him back to his seat. For the remainder of the lesson, Chuck found it hard to concentrate on programming the game, "Dragonhammer". If he wasn't worrying over Mr. Larkin, he would drift seamlessly into that one glowing memory of the girl in the hallway. Whoever she was, Chuck was set on finding out more. Like if her personality was as exuberant as her hair? Or if she played Halo, and if she did, could she beat Chuck?

A few short glances at the front of the classroom showed that Mr. Larkin was still as unsettled as before, but he seemed to be showing signs of calming down. However, he still hadn't got up to pace around the room, checking on the progress of any of Chuck's classmates, and his tan suede shoulder bag remained more or less untouched. Finally, when the shrill ringing of the bell signalled the end of the period, Chuck packed up, carefully put the deep-blue case in messenger bag, next to his personal Alienware laptop, and zipped it up. Upon walking out of class, he waved his good bye to Mr. Larkin, to which he stood up and approached Chuck with an outstretched hand.

"Hey, Chuck, I just want to say your dad was a good man. I know it's late, but this may be the last time I'll get to say it to you. He would've been proud of you, with the way you worked on that game. It was almost like I was working with him again." he said nostalgically.

"Mr. Larkin, no offence, but you do know that I'm not graduating till next year right?" Chuck clarified.

"Yeah, I know. But it's going to be the last time you're going to see me, at least, I think it might be." he added. "Goodbye Chuck." He said it like there was a large burden that was lifted on his shoulders, like if he died to today, he'd be content. With no other choice, Chuck took his outstretched hand and shook it.

"Where are you going? Did you get another job at another school?" Chuck inquired, saddened by his words.

"You better get going, I don't want to keep you from you next class. Remember, Level Six." Mr. Larkin said, disregarding his query and ushering him towards the corridor.

There was no real arguing against it, besides, all of this was just too confusing for him to gather just one single thing to ask him about. What's so important about level 6? Why was he so anxious? What was he anxious about? There was just to much. So, with no other option, he made his way out into the empty corridor, turned a corner, and hoped that all of that wasn't true, that it was just some joke.

Little did he know, that coming up the staircase just behind him, were two burly, suited men. The two of them both had one order, that rang clear and loud in their disciplined heads.

_Bring in Ex-Agent Bryce Larkin. Whatever the cost._

Mr. Larkin was right at least honest about one thing.

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><p><em><strong>Tell me what y'all think!<strong>_


	2. I Hate First Days

_**Disclaimer: Of course, I don't own Chuck.**_

_**Now would be a good time to mention that this is my first fic with any kind of action or combat skills involved. :L **_

_**I had some trouble getting this out, as I had to "intersect" two character lines. (Oh god, I'm hilarious sometimes) **_

_**Anyway, reviews, as always, are highly encouraged, so don't be shy, tell me what you like, and what you didn't, and even give a few suggestions. :)**_

_**Enjoy!**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: I Hate First Days. <strong>

_Three days before…_

"Walker! Get down!" called a commanding voice.

There wasn't much more that she could do except follow that order. Not knowing who, or where it came from, she smacked down flat on the grass that framed the courtyard. A large force permeated every cell in her body, followed by the searing heat of a carefully planted Semtex explosive. Instantly, her fresh training kicked in, mixed with the developing instincts she'd began to rely on. Reacting quicker than a cheetah, she ran to a nearby pillar, throwing herself against it and taking solace in the cover that it provided. The ringing in her ears only began to become apparent to her when she tried to determine what just happened.

_Okay, Bomb in the middle of the courtyard. No substantial injuries, but a slight loss of hearing._

The ringing took a few seconds to fizzle out and give way to the sounds that surrounded her, but when it did, she heard the sounds of several gunshots being fired filling her ears, and her handler, Kieran Ryker, shouting after her in a booming voice.

"Walker! Walker!" he yelled. "Get over here! Unidentified contact!"

As far as she could tell, the shots being fired weren't whizzing around her cover, or breaking chunks off of it. To her right, behind the cover of another pillar, Ryker was peeking out, squeezing off a shot or two at their mystery assailants. Keeping her head down, she bolted over to an adjacent pillar and took stock of her surroundings.

Across the courtyard, over the blackened crater that the explosive left, four unidentified foes clad in janitor uniforms were firing towards her and her handler.

"Here!" kicking over a gunmetal-black Glock-17 pistol and continued to return fire. "These guys are after the same guy we came looking for!"

Needing no orders, she clicked off the safety, waited for a break in fire, and popped out of cover, squeezing off several shots at the opposing agents. With her training still fresh in her mind, she managed to gun down one of the janitors, landing a hit directly through his shoulder.

"Good hit!" Ryker yelled.

"There's still three more! How are we supposed to get out of this?" she shouted back.

He peered around the cover, before zipping back into it, avoiding the bullets that whistled past him and broke open a drink machine. Lifelessly, several cans of Coke rolled out and bumped into her boots, giving her an idea.

"Ryker, hey, Ryker!" grabbing his attention. "When I tell you to, hit these cans of Coke okay?"

"What? Walker, don't forget, I'm YOUR fucking handler! You don't tell me what to do!" he snapped back.

"There's no time, just trust me on this!" she burst.

With no choice, he fired three more shots before ducking back into his cover to reload. In that time, Sarah vigourously shook up three cans of coke, and lobbed them through the air.

"GO!" readying her pistol.

Carefully, Ryker trailed the cans through the air, before shooting them just as they were level with the opposing agents. The cans burst into a foaming brown mess, emitting three distinct pops and distracting the three remaining bogeys, halting their fire for a crucial few moments. With no hesitation, Sarah popped off several shots, choosing to fire at the two that had their heads peeping out of cover, hitting them both dead-square between the eyes. Their final squad-mate was her next target, but she was beaten to the chase when Ryker let one last bullet go free and hit him in the chest.

"Come on, there's still one of those assholes down." ordered Ryker.

With their guns raised, they strode across the courtyard to find one of the men down and bleeding heavily. He was desperately crawling for the gun, but found it hard with his shoulder gushing blood.

"Hey! Don't move!" Sarah ordered, pointing the business end of the Glock at him, before lowering it and approaching him carefully.

"Fuck… Off." he managed to sputter, still reaching for the gun.

Predictably, Ryker lunged forward and whacked him in the face.

"Here, see this?" Sarah said, holding up a tiny white and orange canister. "It's an experimental blood clotting agent." pausing to let the gravity of the situation sink into his mind. "If you want to live another day, you'll tell us who sent you, and why you're here."

"It's useless!" he spat. "Bryce Larkin's not here. So go back to your fucking iPhone, and your boy bands you little girl."

"Careful now, this 'little girl' just put a bullet through your shoulder!" warned Ryker.

"…lucky shot." the agent coughed.

This time, Ryker kicked him in his stomach, but was held back from launching another kick.

"I've got this." whispered Sarah to Ryker, who knew exactly what she was capable of.

"You're not going to get shit from me girl. The people I work for… the people I work for will fuck you up." he hissed at her back.

Coldly, and without hesitation, she shoved the barrel of her gun into his entry wound, causing him to squirm and writhe in pain.

"ARRRRRGHHHHH!" he painfully yelled. "Argh! You little bitch!"

"Just tell me, where the hell is Bryce Larkin?" she harshly asked.

"Lincoln High! Lincoln High!" he admitted under extreme duress.

"That's better." taking the gun barrel out of his wound, and squeezing the foam into it.

Without another word, she turned around and walked away. She knew what Ryker would do to him now that they had the information they needed. For a 16 year old teenager, watching a person getting executed wasn't something she'd want to see, even with her training. Killing an attacking enemy? Sure, she could deal with that. But she'd never kill someone who wasn't firing back at her. It just didn't feel right to her yet. As the gunshot rang through the empty corridors of Melinda Banks High School, she tried to focus on the intel that she'd just coaxed out of the opposing agent.

_ So all this time, Larkin's been hiding in Lincoln High huh? Looks like I'm gonna have to get my school books ready again. _

Back at their undisclosed safe-house, the face of Director Graham was plastered on the main screen.

"Agent Walker, you continue to surprise me with your mission performances. For an agent as young, and as fresh from training as you are, you proudly show the best of what the CIA has to offer." praising her, before shifting his gaze towards Ryker.

"You too Ryker. It's apparent that the two of you have some sort of… uncanny teamwork. Which is why it's a shame to say that Ryker is being reassigned." he declared, nonchalantly.

"Reassigned, sir?" Ryker enquired.

"Yes. One of your old identities is calling back again it seems…" leaving that to hang for a moment. "More details later, I need you here in DC by 1600."

"I'll leave right away sir." nodding his head, and turning to Sarah. "Pleasure being your handler, Agent Walker, but it's not like you needed me." he announced.

Sarah did nothing but return his offered handshake, and nodding approvingly.

"Director, I'll see you back at Langley." before respectfully retreating to pack his things.

"Will that be all sir?" Sarah asked, in light of her being the only one left in the room.

"No. Walker, you will continue on with apprehending Bryce Larkin, but there's going to be a change in protocol." his voice carrying a grave tone with it.

"Change in protocol, sir? What do you mean?"

"The circumstances of a project which Larkin was a large part of, has drawn the attention of the NSA. I've spoken with the person in charge on their side of this op, and we came to an agreement that will allow us both to get what we wanted, while at the same time, keeping an agent like you in field duty. You're to be assigned to a new handler, who's taking orders directly from the NSA. If all goes according to plan, he won't need to be your handler for very long."

"Do I get any information regarding my new handler, sir?"

"His name is Colonel John Casey."

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><p><em>Present day. Monday, 27th of February. <em>

Sarah hated first days. No matter what the occasion, any kind of first day just made her feel close to physically angry. The only thing she could take refuge in, was the fact that this was all just a mission for her. A mission. She was 16, and already she knew that her future was going to be filled with them. Not that she minded. In fact, the rush of it all actually calmed her down, overriding every other possible emotion that she could feel. A feeling of Zen washed over her as she rode along to her "next mission" in the passenger seat of her temporary NSA handler's Crown Victoria. Any other kid would've felt the cold and indifferent aura that seemed to radiate from Casey, but Sarah couldn't care less how accommodating her NSA handler was.

"Y'know I'm already risking my cover driving you to school." Casey grumbled. "The kids I look after go to school here."

"You have kids?" Sarah asked in absolute disbelief.

"No. Just got roped in by an old favour."

"Sounds fun." the sarcasm was blatant in her voice.

"I don't like your tone, young lady." pulling over to the kerb. "Look, if all goes to plan, and you CIA's don't screw it up, we won't have to see each other again. Got it?"

It took almost every bone in her body not to karate chop him in the throat for insulting the CIA like that.

_Don't compromise the mission Sarah. Just get through this, and maybe you can hurt him later for it. _

She took a look around, and saw that the main entrance to Lincoln High was around the corner to where they'd stopped. Sarah was about to turn to Casey and ask why, but a glance at his stern face reminded her of the kids that he'd some how inherited and his cover. Without a single word, she shouldered her back pack over her grey jumper and got out of the car.

"Remember your orders, Walker." he grunted at her before driving off.

They were simple. Given her rookie status, Sarah was sanctioned with surveillance of the target, and advise on the right time to apprehend Larkin. That part of the operation was to be done by the NSA, and from there, the higher-ups would handle it. It seemed easy enough, but factor in a school full of unwanted witnesses and miniscule windows where he'd be alone, made everything complicated.

_Just how I like it. _

Then something hit her. This would be her first completed assignment as a CIA field agent, and one of their youngest field agents at that. A proud sense of premature accomplishment dawned inside of her. Nothing would make this go wrong. Nothing.

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><p><em>An hour later, Pre-Second Period. <em>

Sarah tiptoed her way to the corner, peering around to get a glimpse at the hallway. This was it for her. She was just about to complete her final patrol around Larkin's room, and was about to call it in. It was easy slipping out of her Calculus class to get to Larkin in time; her teacher wasn't exactly all there in terms of attention, and she was fortunate to get a seat at the back of the classroom, right next to the door. A shrill ringing signalled the end of first period, and she inconspicuously broke into the locker she was next to, and hoped that it's owner didn't come looking.

_School lockers? Childs play. _

Students bustled around her, moving from one class to the next, while she just pretended to unpack her blank notebooks into the small locker. The crowd around her died out, and eventually, she was the only one left in the hallway. Shutting the locker, she took a look around the corner again to see Larkin's last student leave the classroom. The sight of him stirred something foreign in her stomach. There was an enigma about him, it was in the way his curly hair formed weird shapes. Something in the way he held his lanky frame up in a inward sense of confidence. In a nutshell, she was intrigued, until the sight of her mark knocked her back on track. Larkin stood in the doorway, saying something inaudible to the boy. Sarah thanked God when the mystery boy turned around to head further down the hallway, leaving Larkin visibly alone. Instinctively, her hand reached for her phone, and she ducked back around the corner to dial in the team. Until an irritating, high pitched cough stopped her.

"Excuse me, miss? What exactly do you think you're doing?"

_Shit._

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><p><em>Down the hall…<em>

_ What's so important about Level 6? _

When he realised how late he was for his next class, Chuck began to streak down the hallways. Until a nagging voice at the back of his head told him to check his timetable. Still not slowing down, Chuck delved into his right pocket, unlocked his iPhone and pulled up his timetable.

_What? Oh man, I thought I was late for Chemistry. That's a relief. _

As of now, he was in a free period. Usually for him, that would mean going to the library and _trying _ to study. But with the odd weight of the mysterious hard drive in his backpack, there was something more intriguing he could do.

_Time to find out what Mr. Larkin was so anxious about. _

Chuck doubled back to hide in a storage closet that he just passed, and sat back against the door. Eagerly, he opened his Alienware laptop, and plugged in the hard drive. Selecting the programming file for Level 6, he waited to see what was important and troubling enough to send Mr. Larkin into spiralling anxiousness.

"That's… weird."

The bright screen in front of him was no more, replaced by pure darkness. He was about to close the laptop when block lettering scrolled open in the centre of the screen.

_Hello, Chuck. Press enter to begin._

At first, he was going to lamely tap 'enter' without considering what could possibly happen. Why would he? He'd pressed that one key enough times for it to be insignificant. Yet, something tugged at his conscience, telling him that he should be cautious.

_Screw cautious._

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><p><em><strong>Leave a review. :D<strong>_


	3. Answers And Questions

_**Disclaimer: Don't own Chuck. **_

_**All right, this bad boy, is the next chapter. :) It took a while to get around to do, but having a school life… it's not exactly accommodating for a budding 16 year old fanfiction writer. **_

_**Your reviews are much appreciated. Having some of you more experienced writers giving me feedback really is a big help to me. Especially ArmySFC and tw200.**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Answers and Questions.<strong>

"Colonel Casey, I trust that you and your team took care of the situation?" the General asked.

"Yes General. My men were on the scene before any further collateral damage was achieved."

"_Further_ collateral damage?"

"Ma'am, we have reason to believe that the hard-drive that contained Larkin's project was handed off to a third party." reported Casey.

"Could you secure the project?"

"My men have secured the hard-drive in question; he handed it to a student at the school, Charles Bartowski, a junior." he paused with shame before he added on the bad news. "but not before he could upload it to himself ma'am."

"Chuck Bartowski? One of the kids you look after? He put it into the hands of a 16 year old?" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yes." he grunted with disappointment. "And he was why the two unidentified agents were neutralised in their acquisition of Mr. Larkin." Casey reported.

"How on earth… Are you sure it wasn't the CIA agent?"

"No ma'am, we-" he cut himself off as he heard his front door being opened, and one of his men walked in and gave him a message.

"General, the 'CIA' agent is here." Casey announced with a grunt.

"Okay, good, thank you Colonel, I'll debrief her. Send her in."

Casey gave a nod to his agent near the door and he opened the door to reveal a blonde teenage girl.

"Colonel! Get that civilian out of here! Where is the CIA agent?" the General crackled through the screen.

"With all due respect ma'am, she is the CIA agent." he said matter-of-factly.

Gingerly stepping into what appeared to be a cross between an apartment and a full-fledged command centre, Sarah eyed every last piece of equipment that she could see. A computer station was set up in front of the kitchen, which was to her right. A picture of Former President Ronald Reagan sat oddly on top of the fireplace mantle, tucked in the corner of the living room. In the living room itself, two 48-inch flat screens hovered off of the wall, flanked by smaller 24-inch monitors which currently displayed files and the faces of the two unknown agents that attempted to take in Bryce Larkin. On the top main screen, Sarah recognised the face of one of the most highly regarded and respected women in the entire United States intelligence community, and secretly one of her personal role-models. Brigadier General Diane Beckman. As of that moment, the General was peering at Sarah over her half-moon glasses with a stern expression. Her first thought was to ask someone if the General could see her right now, but with how she examined Sarah so intently, she quickly held herself back.

"Agent…" the general glanced a sheet of paper "Walker. You're the CIA agent that Director Graham hand-picked for this mission?"

"Yes, si-, I mean ma'am!" instantly correcting her slip up.

If it were physically possible, the General burned a hole through the connection that linked the conference together with her eyes. Sensing the tension, Colonel Casey stepped back.

"I'll have to discuss this… misdirection with him later. But for now, could you describe what happened today?" she asked, with a hint of condescension.

"As per my orders, I was doing a last round of recon before calling your NSA team in. When Mr. Larkin's last student finally left," hanging on her last few words, remembering the boy that was ineffably interesting to her. "…two unidentified agents showed up, tranquillised and took the target away."

"Yes, yes, we know all about the two enemy agents. Agent Walker, what I'm more concerned about, is how a civilian was able to take them out."

"You mean that he wasn't a spy?" she blurted out, unable to believe it.

"What was that?"

"Sorry ma'am, it was nothing." composing herself yet again, before continuing. "The civilian stumbled out of a closet, and one of the two agents pulled out a tranq pistol on him. At that point, I was about to spring in and intervene, but not before the civilian managed to lash out and disarm and disable both of the agents." she recounted. "When they were neutralised, the civilian inexplicably collapsed."

A stunned expression dawned on General Beckman's face.

"Ma'am… does that mean?" Casey asked, equally as stunned.

"Yes it does Colonel. I need your men to bring in Mr. Bartowski and Larkin to a secure location. Agent Walker, you will remain here, and await further orders."

Before Sarah could object, the lower main screen lit up and the scowl of Director Graham filled the picture.

"General, I believe we should discuss such matters before you sideline my agent."

"Director! This is a secure line, it is beyond me why you would break into it!" she complained.

"We had an agreement General, besides, given the recent circumstances, Agent Walker could prove invaluable to the situation."

"Fine!" she exclaimed, coerced. "Colonel, take Agent Walker with you. Her future in this operation will be discussed, _at length_, between me and Director Graham. Beckman out." both feeds were terminated.

An audible grunt came from the Colonel.

"Walker, come with me."

* * *

><p>Blurry lights came through as Chuck gradually opened his eyes. The migraine didn't hit him at first, but when he could finally see clearly, it came down on him like a ton of XBox power-bricks. He felt cold, sterilised metal under his palms, and looked around, at the expense of his growing migraine, to see that he was in a cell of some sorts. It must've been built into the wall because the slab of metal he lay on was up against was pure, dull concrete, while the front half of the cell was made of glass. Chuck had no idea how on earth he got here. The last thing he could remember was hiding in that janitor's closet and opening the Level 6 programming file for Dragonhammer. Anything else beyond that, was a dark, muddled mess. The two panes of glass that served as the doors to the cell hissed open, revealing a sight that could've only been from a dream. The same mystery blonde that he saw stride past him in the hallway at school was now standing in front of him with her arms crossed and a bottle of water in one hand. Her glistening hair was pulled back into a pony-tail, and the sleeves of her grey jumper were scrunched up to her elbows. Chuck didn't have to pinch himself to check that he wasn't in a dream; the thumping migraine was doing a great job at doing that.<p>

"Uh, you must have a lot of questions…" she spoke.

The simple sound of her voice seemed to soothe his aching head.

"You have no idea." hauling his feet onto the floor and resting his forehead on his palms. "D'you have some Aspirin or something? I haven't had a headache this bad since I tried to give up Red-Bull."

The mystery blonde rattled something, and he looked up to see a small white bottle of Aspirin being offered towards him. He managed to avoid looking directly at her, in fear of how much he'd stare, and took the bottle of Aspirin with a nod of thanks. Two pills bounced out into his palm, and he threw them into his mouth, taking a swig of water to down them both. A false sense of relief buzzed through him, but he knew that the medication would take a while to kick in. He handed the Aspirin bottle back to the girl and realised, that if he was going to be this interested in her, he should at least introduce himself first.

"…My name's Chuck." he awkwardly stated.

"I know."

There was a silence as they let that last line hang. Sarah was fumbling for the right thing to fill the gap, but two years of training had failed to give her discipline over social interaction. Thankfully, Chuck picked the conversation back up.

"And your name is?" he asked.

"Sarah." she responded swiftly, almost like it was a question in a debriefing.

_Even her name's pretty. Sarah. _He liked how it sounded, simple and elegant at the same time. It was as if her name directly spoke of her.

The questions in his head, like, where was he? What happened at school? How'd I get here? All subsided, and gave way to only one, singular question.

"Can I get to know you?" he whispered.

"What was that?" Sarah asked.

"Uh, nothing, nothing!" he lied, flustered.

"I've been uh… ordered to escort you to the briefing room once you're well enough." brushing aside his obvious embarrassment.

"Briefing room?" Chuck asked as he shot upwards, relieved that the pain in his head was subsiding slowly.

Sarah almost jumped back at how fast he shot up. When he stood over her, she noticed how tall he was. She knew that she was around 5"10', tall for a girl her age, but with a half a head over her, Chuck must've been almost 6 foot flat. Her eyes began to linger briefly in his eyes, before turning away, shamed at how she was taken aback by him entirely. She cursed herself for even letting herself get surprised by it. Letting her guard down was something her trainers told her would get her killed. Reprimanding herself, she turned right around, depriving herself of the slight of those soft, mocha brown eyes.

"You have a lot of questions, I'm sure." she presumed, leading him through the corridors to the central briefing room.

"Uh, yeah! I mean, for one, where am I? And what happened to me?" launching a barrage of questions.

"Just hold on to them for now," stopping to place her hand on an inconspicuous shining black panel next to a door. It lit up with a swiping green glow and beeped. The door slid open and Chuck was left with his jaw hanging, while Sarah stepped through.

"That was so cool! What was that? It's like something from James Bond!" following behind her, completely stunned by it.

"Like I said, Chuck," his name rang pleasantly in her mind "hold on to the questions."

She led him down a corridor, before stopping to turn at a pair of doors, and pushing them inwards. The doors revealed another sight that would've been from a dream. Or more accurately, a nightmare.

"Casey?" he exclaimed, almost shouting his guardian's name.

Predictably, he grunted his dissatisfaction, obviously displeased that his work life had finally collided with his outside life.

"Just sit down and shut up Bartowski. I'll explain later." he commanded sternly.

There was no other choice when it came to Casey, so he took a seat, and caught himself watching Sarah take a seat opposite him. At first, she was oblivious to his near-admiration of her, but the instant that she noticed, Chuck averted his gaze, and found himself shifting his focus towards Casey. Who looked back at him with an all-too-familiar scowl on his face. The room was filled to its limit with awkward. All that could be heard was the faint growling of Casey, and the hum of the lights.

"Who else are we waiting for?" Sarah asked curiously, breaking the silence.

As if it were on queue, the two double doors opened, to reveal a man in a suit, who stepped aside to give way to the person that he was leading. For the third time today, Chuck couldn't believe his eyes. His teacher, Mr. Larkin limped in, his arms in cuffs and his hair falling in strands around his face. He nodded a brief but tense greeting to Casey, and shifted his gaze to Chuck, eyes widening in disbelief. It seemed he was as surprised to see Chuck, as Chuck was to see him.

"Mr. Larkin? …Okay, that's it, what's going on here?" Chuck burst, shooting forward.

At that moment, the flat-screen at the front of the room sprang to life with the face of General Beckman taking up the picture.

"Ah, good, you're all there." General Beckman spoke.

"What does she mean by 'we're all here'? Can she see us?" looking up at Casey for some answers.

"Bartowski! 'She' is a high ranking US government official! Have some goddamn respect!" spat Casey, before turning to face the screen. "Yes ma'am, we're all here."

She nodded her acknowledgement and looked directly at Chuck through the screen.

"Mr. Bartowski, I'm Brigadier General Diane Beckman, Director of the National Security Agency." she announced. "Your presence here today concerns a project that Mr. Bryce Larkin here, has been working on." gesturing her head towards where Mr. Larkin was sitting.

Mr. Larkin turned to face Chuck, finally able to piece all of it together.

"Chuck, did you… Oh, no. I told you to wait till you got home!" he remarked.

"Mr. Larkin, if it weren't for Chuck, you would've been captured, or dead." the General defended.

"What do you call this?" holding up his shackled arms.

"The grace of the U.S. Government." Casey growled at him.

"Look, I'm really confused here!" Chuck cried out. "So if everyone could just be quiet so I could get some answers, that would be really nice!"

Instantly, the room fell silent as all eyes fell to him.

"I agree with Chuck. We're the only two here who don't have any clue as to what's going on." Sarah added, warranting a look of thanks from Chuck.

"All right. Chuck, your teacher, Mr. Larkin, was working on a weapon of sorts. We've been monitoring him for the duration of its development, and were planning to take him in. Agent Walker here," lifting a hand to point out Sarah, "was tasked with calling the right moment for his apprehension"

"No offence General, but I'm more concerned as to why I have a very, very large migraine, and no memory of anything after first period today!" he burst out in frustration.

"General, I think I'll explain here." Mr. Larkin stepped in. "Chuck, the project I was working on, it was encrypted into the coding for level 6 of Dragonhammer. It was why I told you to wait until you were home, and alone to open it. I'm presuming that since we're here now, that you didn't wait."

The memories that had been eluding him began to come back. He remembered pressing enter on his laptop, and all the images that came flooding at him.

"Essentially, what Chuck is feeling now is a side-effect of the writing protocols that the encrypted images had on him." Mr. Larkin explained.

"Writing protocols?" Sarah questioned.

Mr. Larkin spun around in his chair, and the chains on his hand-cuffs clinked against the table.

"Yes. The project I was working on… in layman's terms, programs a persons brain through special images, and gives them skills and knowledge, without them having to learn any of it manually." pausing to let all the information sink in.

Flashes of him stumbling into the barrels of a gun came at him. He remembered somehow disarming and knocking out both of the men that threatened him pushed him to the conclusion that Mr. Larkin was somewhat telling the truth. And that he knew kung-fu.

"I was going to turn the technology into the government for its use, but it seems like I've been forced into it now." Mr. Larkin concluded.

All this information, excluding the data that had been burned into his sub-conscious, was so much to process for Chuck. Overwhelmed by it all, he leant forward and let his elbows rest on the table, bowing his head and letting his hands run through the curls on the back of his precious head.

"What happens now?" Sarah enquired.

"Chuck, with your potential as a field agent, both the CIA and the NSA has agreed to place you under guard, while at the same time giving you the basic training you need." announced General Beckman. "With Agent Walker's short, but surprising track record, as well as her similar situation, she'll remain in Lincoln High with you, as both your handler and partner. It seems fit that two agents like you should benefit from each other." shooting a quick, judging look at Sarah.

"Wait, you said _agents_? I'm an agent?" Chuck asked, giddy at the prospect of it.

"Yes, as of now, you are an official CIA agent, much like Agent Walker. Director Graham, who heads the CIA, has agreed to vouch for you. Which is fortunate, because I'd rather keep a teenager out of the NSA payroll. He's fast tracking your paperwork as we speak. As for the Colonel, he'll continue his legal requirement of your supervision, but with the added job of reporting back to me with your progress."

Casey gave a loud, dissatisfied grunt.

"Okay, so Casey's been an NSA agent all this time?" Chuck asked.

"Yes, and one of our best ones at that." answered General Beckman.

"Why would you spend your time looking after us then?" Chuck wondered.

"Your dad and I knew each other from when he used to work for the Government." Casey explained. "So when he, uh… passed, he wanted me to keep an eye on you and Ellie."

"Wait, my dad worked for you guys?" glancing around at Casey, Sarah and the General. "My mom too?"

"Yes, and it was a shame to lose them both in that plane crash. Your father was a damn good man, which is why I'm not over the moon with putting you in the line of duty." Casey grumbled.

"And how would you know what his dad would've wanted Casey?" Mr. Larkin interrupted.

"Because I didn't desert him when he needed me the most!" Casey shot back, clearly referencing something in their mutual pasts.

"Gentlemen! Stand down!" the General ordered through the screen.

Chuck looked over to Sarah for an explanation, but she was already looking at him for one. They both shrugged and turned their attention back to the General when she began to talk again. It didn't mean that Chuck wasn't curious over that though.

"If there are no further questions, then you're all dismissed. Mr. Larkin, you will be transferred to a CIA research facility, to further improve the project. Colonel Casey, escort Agent Bartowski and Walker back to your complex. Chuck, it goes without saying, that you need to keep your predicament to yourself. If today's events have proved anything, is that someone else is going to be coming after you. If I had my say, I'd have you put in a black-site bunker, but putting a minor in a bunker wouldn't reflect well on the US government."

"Understood, General. I'll keep my mouth zipped tight! I'll lock it and throw away…" he stopped himself when he realised how ridiculous he sounded. "Sorry."

"Agent Walker, you will move into Colonel Casey's spare room, and maintain your cover as a student at Lincoln High."

"My spare room, ma'am?" Casey asked, confused.

"Yes, your spare room."

"But my guns…" he mumbled sadly.

"We'll work something out, Colonel. All of you have your orders, remember, Agent Bartowski, you're on watch now. Your actions in training and out of training will determine your future. Don't disappoint me. Beckman out." pressing a key, and terminating the connection.

"Larkin, come with me, I'll escort you to the transport. Bartowski, Walker, stay put. I'll drive you back home when I come back." Casey ordered them.

Everyone in the room vacated, save for Sarah and Chuck. The two of them took awkward glances at one another, trying to feed their recessed interest for one another. They were going to spend a lot more time around each other it seemed, and they had different feelings over it. Sarah knew the protocol here and she knew if she was going to be his handler and partner, protocol dictated that she keep her emotions over him in check. But with the way he looked at her, he gave off the feeling like he was excited to be around her, like this whole thing was something to be happy about. Sarah almost pitied how blind he was to it all.

"You know what this means, right Chuck?" she clarified, swivelling in her chair to face him.

"I don't know, you tell me." he replied, still oblivious to how serious this all was.

"It means that the CIA and NSA won't let you out of their sight, because you'll be in constant danger. Bad guys are going to try and take you so they can use that thing in your head for bad things. Very bad things. You're going to need to understand that you're going to be faced with decisions that you're not going to want to make, and because of those decisions, you'll lose friends, and you'll gain enemies." watching his hopeful expression wash away. "Take it from me Chuck… your life's never going to be the same again." she stated.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Leave a review! A couple of moments of your time could help me improve this by so much. :D<strong>_


	4. Meet The Gang

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck. …I love it. But I don't own it.**_

_**This took ages to get out, due in no small part to the amount of work that my exams have been demanding. Being in my final year really does have its downfalls. :L**_

_**So yes, enjoy, and give me the most amount of feedback on it that you can muster! :D**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: Meet the Gang.<strong>

Chuck ran wildly down the corridor, away from the guards that chased him like dogs after a bone. Recalling the layout of the complex, he skidded to a stop, turned left, and broke back into a speeding escape.

"Chuck, where are you!" scolded Sarah through his earpiece.

"I'm a little busy Sarah! I've got the whole building chasing after me!" shouting anxiously into his communicator watch.

"I disabled their security _and_ alarms! How did they find you?" she asked in concerned disbelief.

He was about to turn into another hallway, when three guards burst out of a service door and blocked his path. Behind him, the remaining two guards finally caught up, and were looking puffed out from the chase.

"Argh! I'll tell you later, right now I've got to deal with my new friends!" turning off his communicator and prepping himself for the inevitable fight. "All right, come on!"

The first guard launched himself at Chuck, going low for the tackle. Chuck felt that familiar jolt of energy as the Intersect, the super-computer in his brain, flashed him its non-lethal self-defence program. With ease, he side-stepped the tackle, grabbed him by the back of his collar, and threw him into the other three guards. Wasting no time, he turned back around to see that the lone guard that was behind him unsheathed his baton, and was raising it above his head, ready to strike. Chuck almost laughed at the look in his eyes when Chuck palmed him in his sternum. The guard doubled over, which gave Chuck the perfect opportunity to grab a hold of his head, and ram a knee to it. He didn't let the guard fall down though. Knowing that the guards behind him would be charging at him, he spun around the unconscious guard, using him as a shield. Sure enough, two of the guards were already swinging at him, expecting to hit his exposed back. The guard's body thumped with the force of the two batons. At this point, Chuck pushed the limp body into the pair, causing them to dodge desperately, leaving them open for a hit. He closed in on the guard that was to his right, and raised his arm to block a wild baton swing. The force behind it was so lacking, that Chuck was able to loop his arm around it and strip him of his weapon, while at the same time, elbowing him in the jaw, knocking him out. Turning on his heel, he spun around and launched a kick at the guard behind him. He felt the soft mass of the guard's stomach compress as Chuck's heel connected in the kick. Winded, the guard fell back against the spotless white wall. Using the baton he'd liberated, he swung across the guard's head, sending him to the floor.

_Two left._

Stunned to see a teenager knock two of their fellow guards out, the two guards that stood waiting for their chance to attack him firmly rooted themselves to the ground. By now, the flash was wearing out, and he felt the onset of fatigue pulse in his muscles. Luckily, the two guards were in their right minds, and fled the other way. Standing alone in the stark white hallway, surrounded by three unconscious bodies, Chuck raised his tired arms in victory.

"Chuck! Chuck! Get down to the main server room! NOW!" Sarah's voice crackled through his ear piece.

Almost bursting through the doors, Chuck spotted Sarah at the central console in the room. The hum of the servers was all he could hear, and Sarah's bent over figure was all he could see. He just stood there, arms held at his side, admiring the way she looked in a pair of black, skin-tight jeans. The moment she turned around, he snapped himself out, shaking his head, and trying hard to act like he wasn't just gawking at her behind.

"We've got a problem, Chuck." stepping aside, to reveal a metallic box, with digital display counting downwards from three minutes and fifty-four seconds.

"Sarah, umm, that's not… that's not a bomb is it?" he squeaked nervously. A flash hit him, supplying him with design specs and Bomb disposal training. The moment his eyes stopped jumping uncontrollably, he started to panic. "Okay. Okay. Okay. That's a bomb." he breathed to himself. "Don't freak out."

"I'm not freaking out! I'm trying to maintain a level head so we can deal with this!"

"Not to be rude Sarah, but I wasn't reassuring you." before taking a cautious step towards the bomb.

"Chuck! Don't!" Sarah screamed desperately.

"I have to Sarah. If I don't, we'll be blown into a million pieces!" he shot back.

"How? You haven't gone through the training I have! You won't know which wire to cut!" pointing wildly with wire-cutters at the metal suitcase beeping menacingly down to a fiery doom.

He tapped the side of his head with his finger confidently.

"The Intersect hasn't let me down yet." he boasted.

She stared at him, and found the faith that he was fully capable of this. Chuck felt like he was going to lose himself in the sparkling blue depths of her eyes, but with a minute left blinking down on the timer, he snapped himself out.

"Here it goes…" posing over the four wires that twisted and tangled amongst each other. Never had the colours red, blue, green, and yellow been so dangerous to Chuck. But then again, he was a field agent for the CIA. Everything was dangerous. The flash was still controlling his actions, and when he took the wire-cutters from Sarah's hand, he knew exactly what to do. His conscience wasn't completely subdued however, because he hesitated before following through.

_Oh god, what if I'm wrong!_

_ You won't be, just trust the Intersect!_

Fearing for his life, took hold of the green wire, screwed his eyes shut, and cut it. Realising that he was holding his breath, and still very much alive, he took several thankful deep breaths, and opened his eyes. The shining red digits fizzled, and were replaced by a taunting phrase.

_**Congratulations, you beat our high-score!**_

"What the…" Chuck muttered as he straightened up.

"Ugh, I bet the NSA knew about this, and just sent us in anyway! I swe-"

"Wait, what time is it?" snatching his own wrist and looking at his watch. "Crap! I've got that English paper due tomorrow!"

"English pa- Chuck, didn't you finish it in class?" looking at him with an accusing expression.

"Look, not everyone is a super hot spy genius like you okay?" he burst stressfully.

"What?"

"N-nothing, just call Casey to get us out of here!" escaping towards the doors.

The next morning, Chuck was struggling to keep himself up and awake as he rode to school in Casey's car. The paper took the better part of the night to finish. Squished between Ellie and Sarah, he hugged his messenger bag, wishing that it were a pillow, and that miraculously, Sarah would let her head drop onto his shoulder. His eyes kept drifting shut from the lack of sleep he had last night finishing his English assignment, and every second became a battle between him and the sleep that he so desperately wanted.

Officially, Sarah's cover story was that she was Casey's niece, and that her mother had sent her from New York to Echo Park to escape the city life. The two of them only shared one class, and it was English. She hardly ever said anything then, but it made sense to Chuck that Sarah was so quiet. After all, she did lose two years of being a teenager to learn how to kick ass and save the world, she was allowed to be a little socially inapt.

"So… Sarah, who do you hang out with at school?" Ellie asked, trying to spark a conversation that woke Chuck up.

Chuck glanced quickly at Sarah's face, and saw that she was at a loss for words. At school, Sarah didn't hang around anyone, her mission as Chuck's handler/partner had dictated her to float around Chuck, and making sure that he stayed safe. In Chuck's eyes, it was that lack of social skill that added a layer of innocence to Sarah, on top of her brutal combat skills and exceptional spy-work.

"Me! She, uh, hangs out with me." Chuck quickly covered for her.

Upon hearing this, Ellie's eyes widened in shock.

"What?" she squealed. "No offence little brother, but have you realised the people that you hang around with?"

"Who, Morgan? He's not that bad… I mean he may have a crush on you, but…" he reasoned.

"Not just Morgan, what about that little asian girl, Anna? She weirds me out. And don't even get me started on Jeff and Lester!" she ranted.

"I hadn't noticed." Sarah managed to say.

"Well once you do Sarah, don't be afraid to come sit with me and the girls, besides, you look like you could be Maverick material!" Ellie offered.

"Ellie, I'm not sure she'd be up for trying out for the cheer squ-"

"No, no, Chuck, I'm sure it's not that bad." Sarah said plainly. Her tone conveyed the sense that she truly didn't mind it all.

Casey slowed the car down as they approached the school, stopping just in front of the main entrance. Ellie had got out as soon as she gave Casey a brief thanks, and ran off to go greet Devon. Once she was clear, Casey turned to face the two teenagers, and smiled menacingly.

"Have a good day at school kiddies." he grinned.

"Whoa! Casey, leave the expressing emotions to us normal people! You… you stick to grunts and guns." Chuck nervously quipped.

Before Casey could reach out and grab him, Sarah rushed him out onto the curb.

"Thanks for the ride Casey. Call me if Beckman finally has something on that bomb last night." she whispered to him. Of course, he gave nothing but a terse grunt of acknowledgement.

The moment Sarah closed the door, he drove off, and left Chuck and Sarah alone to walk through the gates.

"Y'know…" Chuck yawned, "hanging out with me wouldn't be such a bad idea." he stated. "I mean, you guys, you may have files and reports on Lincoln High, but you won't find anyone else that knows it better than I do."

"Oh really? Is that so?" she questioned.

"Are you kidding? Of course! I mean, I've been to school here for 2 and a half years Sarah, and once you've been here that long, you know things." giving her a look to see if she wasn't finding this completely ridiculous. To his combined surprise, and relief, she was actually interested.

"See there? The jocks. All typical bolt-heads, except for Captain Awesome of course." motioning towards the group of guys that Devon, Ellie's boyfriend, was surrounded by. "And over there, with the best view of them, the Cheerleaders. Surprisingly, not all of them are ditzy, my sister included." shifting his step to show her the group of preppy faced girls sitting on a bench, sporting the same baby-blue outfits and perfect pony-tails.

"Chuck, I know all about the cliques here okay? It didn't take very long, I mean a high school isn't _that _complicated." cutting him off.

"Ah but Sarah, we haven't even got to the best bit." leading her towards the drink machines, and eventually, where he sat. "I know you probably know who I hang around with, but for the sake of understanding here, I'm gonna introduce them anyway." stopping a fair distance away from the bench where his beloved group of friends sat around. "Morgan Grimes. My best friend, and the most simple, kind hearted guy you'll ever meet." pointing out a short, scrawny kid, and straight black hair. "Next to him, we have Anna Wu. The fiercest girl gamer this side of the world, and a personality to match it." highlighting the petite asian girl in pigtails and excessive eye shadow, who was sitting with her legs crossed on the table itself. "You don't need to mind them as much, Morgan won't try anything with you, unless you're my sister, and Anna… well, I don't exactly know what her deal is, but lets just go with 'won't try to hit on you'." he paused to make sure she was following. She looked back at him and smiled, noting her understanding. Again, her sparkling blue eyes almost beckoned him closer, but he had to snap out of it, there's no way she'd feel the same for him. When he gave his attention back to the bench, he noticed the unsurprising absence of Jeff and Lester.

"Now who you really have to watch out for, if they were actually here…"

And on cue, Lester, and Jeff, both popped up at their sides. Sarah almost spun her backpack around for her gun, but when Chuck placed his hands on her arms, she stood down.

"Ah… Charles. See you've brought a lady friend." Lester, a seedy little East Indian kid remarked, eyeing a very tense Sarah. She was on edge, switching her view from either invader.

"Hey… you wanna see my pet rock?" Jeff insisted, with an unblinking expression on his droopy face.

"Uh, I-I-" stammered Sarah.

"Yeah, these… these are the guys you have to look out for. Sarah, meet Jeff Barnes, and Lester Patel." holding a hand out to them as if he were presenting a horrifying science project. "I'm pretty sure I shouldn't of given them your name though." Chuck mentioned.

"How does a girl as stunning as you, end up in a hole like Lincoln High?" Lester said, putting on his best Don Draper impression.

"Seriously. I have some good rocks." Jeff pressed.

"Guys!" Chuck exclaimed. "While Sarah appreciates your welcome, I'm sure that she doesn't want to look at rocks."

"Whoa, Chuck if she was yours, all you had to do was say the word!" Lester retreated.

"Wha- guys, no, she's not my girlfriend!" he blushed.

"No, no. I get it Chuck. You always got the hot ones. Hey, now that you have her, you mind if I uh…" leaning in closer to Chuck. "have a crack at Jill?" motioning towards a group of girls to Chuck's left.

And it was that one name that sent Chuck into a sombre spiral of regret. Jill Roberts, his first girlfriend, and the first girl that broke his heart. Unintentionally, he looked over to her, sitting among her friends on the grass, and felt a pang in his stomach as he saw her shining black hair fall in straight blankets around her shoulders. It only took a quick slap on his chest to stop him from staring any further, and catching Jill's attention.

"Chuck… are you all right?" Sarah asked with heavy concern.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Lets just go say hi to Morgan yeah?" he said, trying to avoid himself.

As they walked towards the bench where Chuck sat, and hopefully, where Sarah would sit, Lester called out to Chuck.

"So is that a 'yes' on Jill?" holding his arms up inquisitively. "That's fine, I didn't want Jill anyway." saying to himself as Chuck just ignored him.

As Chuck approached the table, Morgan's eyes lit up with delight. Surprisingly, so did Anna's.

"Chuck! Buddy! And who's this?" taking a long look at Sarah.

"Yeah, who _is_ this?" Anna asked as she twirled her hair curiously.

"Guys, her name's Sarah, she's new here. I'm sure you've seen her around, she got here on Monday or something?" introducing her to them, while she gave a timid smile and a little wave.

"I'm sure I would've noticed someone like you…" Anna said softly, running her eyes up and down Sarah, checking her out.

"It's fine, I don't exactly uh, stand out." Sarah said.

"Yeah, she's a bit shy." Chuck mentioned, smiling lightly at her.

"So how do you know each other?" asked Morgan.

Chuck hesitated. He never had to lie to Morgan before. Every bit of him wanted to take him aside and tell him everything about the past couple of days, about how Mr. Larkin was actually a scientist that developed a program that could be uploaded into peoples brains through images, and how that program was now in his head. And how Sarah was a CIA agent, and so was he, just so they could geek out over it together. But, to Chuck's relief, Sarah butted in.

"Umm, Chuck's guardian is my uncle. Yeah, my mom sent me out here because she didn't want me to live in New York." she expertly lied.

"You certainly don't have Casey's charm." Morgan chuckled.

A ear-piercing bell rang, and everyone around him turned into a sea of movement.

"Ugh. And so it starts." lamented Morgan. "Lets go Chuck, time for homeroom."

"Yeah buddy. Sarah, you're okay to get to class yeah?" Chuck asked as Morgan began to walk off with Anna.

"Yeah, I can handle it. You better get going too." she smiled, causing him to involuntarily smile back.

As always, homeroom passed uneventfully. The only difference being that Jeff was actually present for once. Granted, his head was limply hanging from his neck, somewhere between passed out and in a daze, but it was an achievement for him nonetheless. Another bell rang, and he began to trudge towards AP Physics with Morgan happily trotting beside him. Chuck envied his innocence. Morgan was so unaware of all of the danger that was around him right now. To Chuck, even though he was only an agent for 2 days, fear came from anything and everything he saw. A coffee thermos could be a highly explosive bomb. A back-pack could be a carrier unit for a weaponised suit. Even the plastic forks that people used to eat a salad somehow managed to end up lodged in his throat in every scenario that played out in his head.

"Hey bro, can I ask you something?" asked Morgan, as he looked up at him.

Internally, Chuck began to panic.

_Oh God, what if he asks me if I'm hiding something? "Oh, no. Nothing important, really. I mean I'm a FREAKING CIA agent, but that's not a big deal." _

"Yeah, of course." he cooly replied.

"How do you always get the hot girls?" he asked, as a group of Seniors pushed past him.

"I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Well, you got Jill, and now Sarah! I mean, do you reckon the government has some sort of gadget that I could use to trick them into going out with me?"

"What? A gadget? I don't have any gadgets, no gadgets, I'm strictly a 'no gadget' guy!" Chuck nervously laughed.

"I was just messing, Chuck." shooting him a suspicious look. "Seriously though, you and Sarah! She better have like a hot friend back in New York I could take a shot at."

"Since when were me and her dating?" Chuck exclaimed. "She's only been here a few days, and people already think we have something!" trying hard to keep not to sheepishly smile over the thought of him and Sarah together. "Besides, you have that thing for my sister."

"Ah, Ellie's come and gone. I've realised I needed to let her go." said Morgan, as they turned a corner.

"Was that before, or after Captain Awesome asked her out?"

"Shutup, Mr… wait, what's Sarah's last name?" failing at formulating a suitable comeback.

"It's Walker, and we're not going out!" Chuck exclaimed at Morgan as he walked into a classroom.

"Whatever, Mr. Walker!" his voice drifting off the further Chuck walked away.

"Psh. Mr. Walker. More like Mrs. Sarah Bartowski." he muttered to himself.

Ahead, his class's door was being opened by someone in a navy blue janitors jump suit, admitting a couple of students into the room. There was something off about him though. For one, Chuck had never seen a janitor around ever in his time here; they'd always been unseen and unnoticed. The Janitor had his back to Chuck, standing aside to let the students enter the classroom, but the moment he could see his face, the Intersect did something interesting. It flashed, but no programs, just images and files. Whatever it did, Chuck suddenly knew that the Janitor was in fact an undercover CIA agent, with a deadly record. Despite the fact that he was a fellow CIA agent, Chuck couldn't help but feel on edge at the sight of him. Attempting to look like he had no idea who he was, Chuck tried to step into the classroom, but was held back by a firm grip on his arm. Turning to see the Janitor leaning on his mop and nodding politely to a passer-by. He gave a quick scan, and then faced him with a serious expression.

"Agent Bartowski. You're needed in Janitor Closet 1B. Pull on the box of sawdust and ask for 'Mr. Clean.'" he said, letting go of his arm.

"But, I've got Phys-"

"It's fine. We've taken care of it. Now go, Janitor Closet 1B, and remember, 'Mr. Clean.'" nodding towards the next hallway.

It didn't take him long to find the closet that the CIA janitor was talking about, as it was just a few steps away from the stairwell that led to the second floor. Checking that no one was around, he turned the knob and stepped into the cramped room. In the process of closing the door behind him, he managed to knock over a few window wipers and a mop, making them clatter against the door. He made a vain attempt at catching them, but only caused more noise in the process. All of Lincoln High must of known that he was here, and it made him wonder why on earth the CIA wanted him to become an agent. Holding still to prevent anymore noise, he prayed that no one was walking by to hear him being the worst secret agent in the history of secret agents. He looked out of the small window that was built into the door, and once he determined that no one would come barging into the closet, Chuck began looking for the box of sawdust. He found it sitting atop the shelf that was directly in front of his face, so he reached out and pulled it. It clicked like a lock, and the closet went completely dark.

"Who're you looking for?" a computerised voice asked.

"Who am I lookin- Oh right! Mr. Clean. I'm looking for Mr. Clean."

A small hole appeared in the box of sawdust, and a green light peered into his eye, scanning up and down, and then left to right. It disappeared with a beep, and a glass case hissed upwards around him, encasing him in a chamber. For a few seconds, nothing happened, but then the floor around him shot downwards, forcing him to the floor and making him slam his hands against the glass. It wasn't until a few seconds, when it stopped, did he realise that he was just on some sort of high-tech elevator. Struggling to keep his breakfast down, he found that the glass walls were no more, and that he was standing alone in a circular room. The CIA and NSA seals adorned the walls beside the door that stood opposite him, which promptly hissed open to reveal a metallic conference room, with concrete floors, and a wall full of monitors situated in front of a steel-grey table. Before he got up, he straightened his messenger bag, hoping that the elevator ride didn't do anything too damaging to his laptop. Half-stumbling into the room, he found that the room had plasterboard for walls. They must've separated the conference room from construction, judging from the sound of grinding metal and the occasional clink of a hammer.

_The US Government's putting a spy-base under my school!_

Even in its unfinished state, Chuck still marvelled at the idea of it. The screens that were mounted on the wall all displayed a hybrid of the NSA & CIA seals, with equal halves making up the one seal. Chuck moved in closer to inspect the screens, and had his face inches from the screen when General Beckman decided to link in.

"AHH!" Chuck screamed as he fell backwards.

"Good morning, Agent Bartowski."

"Heh, General, caught me off guard there!"

"Spies aren't meant to be 'caught off guard'" she coldly reprimanded him.

"Won't happen again. I'll be totally cool from now on."

"Bartowski, I have to make one thing clear. I am highly against this. Using teenagers like yourself and Agent Walker in the field is both ethically, and morally wrong. Your presence here is only because the director of the CIA _himself_ thought that you'd make a good asset, probably because of the Intersect project. The NSA, however, believed that the person that was going to receive Larkin's project was going to be much older, and was fully prepared to train to be a potential _mature _agent. Last night, while you showed great skill in executing the mission, it didn't change the fact that you are still underage. So know this, the second you show any sign of incompetence, your contract will be terminated."

"Yes ma'am." he managed to say gravely, just as the doors behind him hissed open and Sarah waltzed into the room.

"Good, the two of you are here. Now, as you know, your mission last night was a success. We successfully tapped into the servers of the group's compound. However, the intel did not contain anything that could tell our analysts anything about the identity of the group that tried to kidnap Mr. Larkin."

"Then what exactly did we get from it?" Sarah inquired.

"This." tapping a button on her keyboard.

General Beckman's image was shifted to a secondary monitor, and a logo was put on the main screen. It was a red cross-hair, with a singular "G" in the centre. Instantly, the Intersect jolted into action. Several images of redacted files, and people with black boxes covering their eyes flashed into his conscience. At the end of it, 'Investigation Abandoned" in big block lettering came up.

"The Game. Terrorist group. The NSA conducted an investigation into them, but was told to stand down."

"Chuck, how did you know that?" Sarah asked him with a concerned look.

"The Intersect was outfitted with several files from both the CIA and NSA." stated General Beckman. "Mr. Larkin got a hold of them during its development."

"From our databases? How on earth did he do that?" Sarah asked in disbelief.

"Not our databases precisely, Agent Walker. Larkin claimed that he hacked into the Game's servers, and took their information. In essence, he knew more about them than we did."

"So these guys, The Game, took information from the CIA and NSA, and Larkin took that information, and put it into the Intersect?" clarified Sarah.

"Correct."

"And now, Chuck has all that information."

"Right again Agent Walker. Which is why we have to ensure both Chuck's safety, and his ability to protect himself." General Beckman reinforced.

"Oh yeah, because there are people who want to kidnap and kill me. I remember now." Chuck glumly said.

"General, was that all the intel we got?"

"There was one other piece, but our teams have deemed it unusable. As soon as we tried to open the files, a worm began to eat through the systems and delete them. Our technicians managed to stop it, but all that was left, was that one image, and a corrupted file."

"Did the file have a name at least?" Chuck asked.

"Yes, but it was broken up. From what we could gather, it was called 'Lightning'"

For the third time today, Chuck file-flashed. The word triggered the recollection of file that were in the Intersect database. There were mission briefs, reports, and finally, an agent file. Most of it was redacted, but when Chuck came out of it, the agent's image stuck burned in his mind. He fell back to lean on the metal table, overwhelmed by it. The agent had a black bar over his eyes, but there was no mistaking the strong jaw bones and near-perfect lips.

"Chuck, are you okay?" General Beckman asked with large concern.

"Not really. Umm, General? I know Lightning. He's dating my sister." he said gravely.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Drop those reviews! The button's just down there…<strong>_


	5. Unsettling Truths

_**For a high-school junior, Chuck Bartowski has a lot on his plate. His future, what college he wants to go to, the normal stuff. Of course, he had his eyes on a girl, but he doubted anyone else had a thing for a teenage spy with an innate tendency to kick ass. Nor did he expect anyone know what it felt like to house a top-notch super-computer in his head. To say the least, he's going to have to learn to take things one life-threatening moment at a time. As of now, he has to deal with the sudden threat of his sister's boyfriend, Devon Woodcombe, who may possibly be in league with the Game, who he knows enough about to say that they're bad news. **_

_**Yeah. He's definitely normal…**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5: Unsettling Truths.<strong>

To say the least, Sarah was worried. As she looked at Chuck, she saw how the table was practically holding him up. His hands were clutching the table end, turning his knuckles bone-white. Obviously, he was anxious, but that one word didn't cut how distressed he truly was.

"Agent Bartowski, are you all right?" General Beckman asked. Whether or not it was out of necessity or care was beyond Sarah.

"Uh, yeah General. I'm fine," he managed to say calmly. Violently, he shook his head, realising exactly how enraging this was. "No, no, you know what? I'm not okay. I thought that Devon was a good guy! He's dating my sister!" bursting out with frustration.

"Chuck. You have to calm down. What did the Intersect say about him?" Sarah asked, whilst placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

His head fell limply to his chest, and he took a deep breath.

"It had his file, but most of it was redacted or whatever. There was a photo, but his eyes had that stupid black bar over them. It didn't say how deep he was. I know it's not much to go on, but trust me, I know Captain Awesome en-"

"Who?" General Beckman asked in confusion.

"Devon. Chuck and his friends call him Captain Awesome." Sarah explained.

"Yeah, I know Devon enough to know that was his photo on the file."

"General, we can use him to get closer to the Game. If he was in their database, then chances are he knows more about this." Sarah suggested, turning to face the screen.

"A good idea, Agent Walker. But we'll send someone else to handle this mission. It would be inappropriate to send a teenager to extract information out of an adult."

"With all due respect General, Devon goes to this school," Sarah informed her.

She peered over her half-moon glasses in shock.

"You mean he's a minor too?" her mouth agape.

"By California state law, no, but he is a student here." Sarah elaborated.

"Iʼm bringing Director Graham into this." tapping a few buttons. Before long, the Director of the CIA was bearing down on them through the monitor.

"Director. We have a situation."

"I am more than aware of the Game, General. The CIA has been investigating them since they hacked into the NSAʼs systems."

"But, I thought that investigation was abandoned..." Chuck managed to say.

"It was, Chuck, under my orders. The NSA team conducting the investigation was assimilated into our team, and under official records, it was considered abandoned," he explained. "The breach in the NSAʼs security forced us to take over, in order to keep the Game in the dark."

"That aside, Director, it seems that they're _also _training young agents." General Beckman commented. "One of the students a-"

"The CIA is very well aware of Devon Woodcombeʼs possible involvement in their operations."

Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah saw Chuck shoot forward. He had a fire burning in his eyes that was a new sight to her. Her training had instilled the ability for her to make quick, accurate judgements of people. But never had she expected Chuck to be capable of this level of anger.

"What! You knew?" he yelled rather loudly, almost overpowering the clatter of construction.

"More importantly, Director Graham," General Beckman scowled. "Why wasn't the NSA informed of this?"

"Of course we did, Chuck. We've been building that outpost you're standing in since we deduced they were grabbing agents straight from high school."

"Director, I demand that you disclose all necessary information on 'the Game'. Now." She was stern in her demand; ready to respond to any argument Director Graham would send her way.

"Of course." he coolly replied, oblivious to the tension. "As far as we know, the Game is an extremist group, comprised of ex-government agents, technicians, and more importantly, assimilated civilians."

"Assimilated civilians? Iʼm assuming that encompasses students like Devon." Sarah asked.

"Not just students Sarah. They're taking anyone that shows considerable talents in clandestine related areas. Such as athletics, academics, and strangely enough, world-class gamers." he said the last few words like they were foreign to him. It truly was foreign to her. How could fat, sweaty lowlifes be viable candidates for any kind of work? Let alone intelligence gathering, or covert ops. The thought of it alone made her want to snort derisively.

"So they recruit ordinary people with extra ordinary talents? That sounds like Captain Awesome all right." Chuck muttered under his breath.

"Most of that makes sense, Director, but why the gamers? Recruiting them is impractical, compared to the other types they recruit." Sarah questioned.

"That, is unknown, Agent Walker. That is why you, and Agent Bartowski will exploit his connections with Woodcombe to get closer to them. Do you have any objections?" The expression Graham had on his face intimidated any possible question they had. Clearly he was asking it out of necessity rather than clarity.

Looking for any sign of dissent, Sarah shifted her gaze towards General Beckman's televised face. She looked more stern than irritated. Her lips were pressed tight, as if she were holding something back.

"Agent Bartowski, are you okay with this? Given your status, any emotions regarding Devon's intimacy with your sister may compromise the mission," asked General Beckman, in a surprisingly concerned tone.

Chuck didn't answer straight away. His head must've been swirling with emotions, and Sarah had no doubt that he was going to back out. His eyes were fixated on something imaginary, and a few moments passed before he gave his answer.

"General, my sister is dating him. And if he's an enemy agent, I want him as far away from her as possible," he said sternly. "So if this is going to help in any way, then Iʼm in." It was almost surprising to Sarah, to see him so stuck in his words. It was almost admirable.

"Good. Now, how you proceed with this mission is entirely up to you. I've seen your abilities on the field, now I want to see how you cope with preparation." Director Graham said flatly. "Agent Walker will lead you through the planning. If there are no further questions, I bid the two of you good luck. Graham out."

His end of the feed went dark, and General Beckman's face scaled to take up the whole screen once again. As always, her lips were pursed firmly together.

"You have your orders. I expect a mission plan by Friday." shutting off her feed.

Sarah allowed herself to take a breath, realising that she was holding herself upright long enough for it to be a burden on her breathing. Looking back, she saw Chuck leaning into his hand, pinching the bridge of his nose, obviously distressed. For a person like him, it was expected, but it was her job as his handler and his partner to facilitate his emotions, ensuring that he knew that they had to be suppressed. But how could she do it, when all she knew about them was what her training dictated? Not to mention the fact that there was a sparse age-gap between them, so it voided the possibility of passing on her experience. All she could draw on was what her instructors drilled into her every day of training.

_ Emotions get you killed._

But this wasn't basic training, and she wasn't going to unload something as shockingly revelatory as that onto Chuck. Not now at least.

"Chuck, are you going to be okay?" she asked.

"I-I don't know." he sank into the nearest chair, and propped his forehead onto his hand. "I just never thought that my family was going to get involved this early." sighing deeply. "I guess I know what you mean now."

She made her way over to the seat opposite him, and sat down.

"What do you mean?"

"All that stuff you said about my life never being the same again. I've never had to worry about my sister this much in my life. She's always been doing it for me!" he laughed. "And now that I know that Captain Awesome is in cahoots with the Game, it's just... new." he sighed.

Being the heartless handler that protocol dictated her to be didn't seem right to Sarah right now. If she wanted to keep his feelings in check, she was sure she had to try some other way.

"At least you can do something about it this way. You're an agent, and we're going to make sure that your sister is safe, okay?" she said reassuringly. "We won't plan the mission just yet. I need you to be completely level-headed first."

"Yeah, I have to get back to class anyway, Iʼm probably missing a whole heap of work. I donʼt want to teach projectile motion to myself." Chuck managed to joke. "I'll see you at lunch."

He made his way to the elevator, picking up his bag at the side of the door. Just as the doors were about to close, he looked back, and gave her a faint smile; a smile that she saw straight through. Sarah had to give him credit. He did a good job at masking his emotions, but it couldn't fool her. Past the facade, he was confused, not knowing what to feel or what to do. Part of her wanted to tell him exactly what she'd been told over and over again. That in their world, emotions get you killed. Yet, another part of her said something else entirely. She wanted to hug him, tell him that it was all going to be fine, and that he didn't have to do any of this if he didn't want to. It was a small part of her, but it was there.

* * *

><p>"You were about to punch Lester weren't you?" laughed Chuck, as they walked into their building's courtyard.<p>

"He was getting way too close!"

"He's a good kid, but I warned you." smiling wildly at how close she came to knocking him out. "Oh yeah, I'll umm..." looking around suspiciously, "come over to plan that thing that we have to plan." whispering out of the side of his mouth. "I just have to grab something to eat, and we'll get started." he said as they neared Casey's door.

"Yeah, sure." She tried to read him, to see if his emotions were level. "I take it you're okay now?"

"Not… not just yet," he admitted honestly. "The flash had nothing on Awesome but his picture. All I want to make sure my sister's safe around him."

"Good," she said, satisfied. "I'll see you in 10 minutes."

"Definitely," leaving her to unlock Casey's complicated security system. It required her to put the key in, turn it to the right once, slide it out halfway, and then turn it left. The man was an NSA agent with a makeshift command centre in his living room, so it was a necessary precaution. He'd given them a ride home from school, but pushed right past them to his apartment as soon as they started to talk. He wasn't exactly an accommodating guardian, but it was hard to find an NSA agent that was.

"I heard about Devon. How did Bartowski take it?" Casey grunted as she closed the door behind her.

"He was... distraught. But he agreed to go on with the mission. I guess he's doing it to protect his sister," she said.

"I was surprised at how he handled himself on his first mission. I never knew he had it in him to be a spy." he admitted as he wiped down his gun. "Sure, he could've done better. But that Intersect thing really is some piece of work."

"I guess so..." Sarah mused. "He's still vulnerable though. Chuck shouldn't have to rely on the Intersect to perform," she thought aloud.

"Humph," he grunted approvingly. "A teenager that can think straight."

"Not a teenager," she shot back.

"You're seventeen, Walker. It's in the damn word," he said with a hint of condescension.

"They don't just make anyone a CIA agent, Casey." Her stance had shifted to match her aggressive tone.

"Apparently they do, seeing as they made your little play buddy next door one," slamming his gun-shaft down on his table.

"Okay look, if we're going to work together, you need to treat me like I'm actually a colleague, or a peer. Not some ditzy, naïve teen, got it?" stomping straight up to him, pointing an accusing finger.

"And you better be able to keep your 'partner' in check," he said as he stood up and towered over her.

Despite her lack in height, she still matched his intimidating stare. The conflicting tension between them was becoming more and more apparent, but if they let it come between them any longer, they both knew this mission wouldn't last very long.

"Fine," she said after holding steady beneath his gaze for a considerable period of time. Not seeing the need for any further conversation, she scooped up her bag, and marched up towards her room.

* * *

><p><strong>Undisclosed Location.<strong>

Glued to his screen, Ryan Mckew was immersed in an intense round of CTF on Halo: Reach. He relished in the challenge that his opponents were giving him, but he was still confident in his ability to outplay them. Expertly, he bounced a frag grenade into the bunker that encapsulated the flag, allowing him to close the distance to the side ramp. Switching to his last plasma grenade, he threw one at an advancing player, sticking him and taking out one of his teammates in the resulting blast. The top of the bunker was open, and with a quick glance at the movement tracker bottom corner of his screen, he saw that he was outnumbered 3 to 1. The rest of his team was either half- way across the canyon, or back at base protecting their flag. Angling the analogue stick downwards, he fired his grenade launcher. Confident that he took out their shields, he tapped the weapon cycle button and jumped in, ready to pump shotgun shells into their faces. He tugged at the trigger until he was sure the room was cleared, and ran to pick up the flag. He guided his character around a wall, and towards the exit. He was about to run into the open, when all control over his character was lost. A quick cinematic played, showing his character being stunned, and then spun about, only to be stabbed mercilessly through the stomach. He dropped his controller in frustration, and leaned back into the comfort of his leather gaming chair, causing a brief sensation of weightlessness as it rocked backwards.

"Sir?" called out a voice from his door, preceded by three knocks. "Yes, Ashley?" remaining still in his chair, unmoving.

"The results for the latest batch of recruits came in."

"Just send them to my holo-watch."

A two-tone beep came from his wrist, and he gave the watch face a gentle tap. Almost instantly, it projected the reports that his assistant notified him about, lighting his face in an unearthly red glow. He smiled at the progress, pleased that his hypothesis was proving to be true. After 4 weeks of intense training, his recruits, selected from various countries, with various talents, showed signs of becoming highly capable soldiers. His right hand tapped at a few buttons, changing the filtering of the scores that were tabulated.

_ Interesting..._

He filtered out all of the subjects that weren't chosen for their gaming ability. Initially, their scores showed a generally low fitness level, above-average intellect, and mid-to-above-average tactical combat scores. However, as the new results loaded, his smile began to widen. After 4 weeks of physical training, they showed large improvement in their fitness, with only a hand-full of subjects scoring anything below above average, as well intellect bordering near exceptional. What stunned him the most were their tactical combat scores. They were an aggregate of Close-Quarters Combat and Basic Weapons Training. They scored higher than any other demographic he recruited from, proving his theory.

"You give gamers a gun, and they're a soldier..." he mused.

He allowed himself to bathe in his genius. People underestimated the power of a determined gamer, often typecasting them as obese, sweaty thirty year-olds living in their mother's basement. That was the precipice of his work ethic, to turn inconspicuous candidates such as games into viable killing machines. Among this success however, he still found a longing to improve, to add to his building army of agents. Something that would've been out of reach to most people, but then again, his entire way of life was out reach for almost everyone. His fingers expertly swiped through the haptic display, until he found the recording he was most interested in. Two nights ago, he had rigged one of his outposts with a training gauntlet, to bring out the Intersect project that he had been wanting for so long. With it, he would be able to make his operation even more formidable. It was rumoured to enhance the skills of any person, making them the most desirable intelligence agent anyone could ask for. Since it showed up on his radar, he's had his eye on it, and until now, he had never envisioned how talented it could make someone in the field. The Intersect worked almost fluidly, avoiding combat where required, and executing conflicts efficiently should the user come across them; in other words, the perfect spy. The catch was however wasn't that it was already in the head of a CIA agent, but that the agent was merely seventeen. But had he been a man that was limited by petty notions, he wouldn't be in the extensive office he sat in right now. If Ryan wanted something, he got it, one way or another. He could make her see exactly how much this person could be valued, and respected in an organisation such as his. The subject's file pulled up almost immediately after the recording was finished. It was clear. Ryan would get his hands on the Intersect, no matter what the cost, this 'Sarah Walker' character would be in his organisation. It was key.

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><p><em><strong>If it isn't too much to ask, I would love to read your thoughts on this chapter. The review box is just down there, waiting for you… <strong>_


	6. Date Night

Chuck slid his hands under the table, trying desperately to discretely rub away the sweat that gathered upon his palms. Now, he wasn't far along enough in his short-lived spy career to say this with credit, but this had to be the most terrifying mission he had ever encountered. His heart beat out an excited drum-line, with beads of sweat unmercifully forming across his brow.

"Chuck," Sarah asked from his side. "Are you all right?"

He gave a forced smile, so transparent, it may as well have been hewn from glass.

"Yeah, yes, I'm okay," he said shakily.

"Just be calm, it's going to be fine, I'm sure you've done this a million times before." Her tone was soothing, it really was, but Chuck wasn't the kind of guy to be calmed down with simple words of reassurance.

"Sarah, if you recall, I'm kinda… new to this whole spy thing," gesturing wildly with his hands. "So forgive me if I have no idea what I'm doing right now!"

"We prepared for this, remember?" she whispered harshly.

"Yes, of course I remember," he said. "Okay actually, I only remember your room having a stunning lack of a proper laptop. Seriously, you're a teenager, how can you survive without one?" he shot back.

"Chuck, focus!" she snapped. "Remember why we're here!"

"Sister dating a suspected Game agent, yeah, kinda hard to forget _that_," he answered. "Y'know Mr Larkin could've at least put some solid information in this thing!" he complained, tapping a finger to his temple. "We wouldn't even have to be here! The CIA could pull some strings, and POOF, no more Devon."

"Yeah well, he didn't. We're going to have to do this the old fashioned way, and actually confirm our intel," she said. "So we have to treat this like it's a real double date. Remember, once you have an opening, you spike his drink, act like you're holding him steady and check his pockets."

"You're sure he won't be hurt?" he inquired.

"Positive. It's a modified tranq serum. He'll get woozy, but nothing damaging."

"You can't pull some sneaky pick-pocketing skills?" he asked, still reluctant to go ahead with the mission. "Wait, what am I saying, why can't just pull some sneaky pick-pocketing skills? It's bound to be in the Intersect somewhere."

"Chuck, this is part of your training. You need to be able to do things a normal spy would do," she explained. "We don't know how reliable Larkin's Intersect is, so right now we're just going to stick to basics, okay?"

"All right. Okay. Yeah, stick to the basics, I got this," he thought aloud.

"Remember, we have to play this like a normal double date," she reminded him.

He smiled nervously. "Sure, a normal double date."

And there it was, the source of all Chuck's crippling anxiety. Yes, Captain Awesome may have been listed in the Game's database, and sure, he may have to end up spiking his drink tonight. But if Chuck was to be perfectly honest, the _real_ source of his anxiety was perched gracefully upon the chair beside him, looking as beautiful as the first time he lay eyes upon her.

Sarah Walker. A few weeks in her company, and she'd already become Chuck's own personal kryptonite. Something in the way her luminescent blonde hair fell in subtle waves around her face spoke wonders to Chuck. He found beauty in her, even in the blatantly under-practiced smile that she wore to calm his nerves. Of course, there was the clear fact that she could kick his ass a million ways to Sunday, but he tended to see that _after_ her amazing grandeur.

"What's taking them so long?" she asked worriedly. "They were meant to be here by 7."

"Sarah, Devon had football practice, and so did Ellie," he explained calmly, quite unexpected for his current state. "They'll be here soon."

She gave a frustrated sigh, accepting that their presence was obviously out of her control.

"Fine," she said with a huff. "We have time, lets go over what we're meant to do again."

"No offence, but I do have a super-computer in my head. I'm pretty sure I remember."

"Oh, so all that freaking out before, that was just a façade?" she said with the tiniest hint of condescension.

"Very funny," he said as he gave a mocking laugh. "You know, you're not exactly a social expert either."

Even as the words left his lips, he wished that he could take them back. For a brief moment, Sarah almost seemed hurt by his words. It made Chuck's heart drop right down into his stomach.

"Oh God, Sarah, I'm so sorry," he began to apologise. "I really didn't mean that, I'm nervous, that's all."

"Where did I move from?" she spoke suddenly.

"You… uh… what?" Chuck blurted in confusion.

"We need to go over our prep. Again, where did I move from?" she repeated herself impatiently.

"Manhattan," he answered, glad that he had somewhat escaped that pitfall.

A silence fell between them. With an expectant look, Sarah ushered Chuck onwards.

"Chuck, come on, they might get here any minute now. Hurry up and give me one!"

"Oh! What's my favourite video game?" he replied in a snap.

"Ocarina of Time," she replied back. "Why did I move here?"

"Mom wanted you to escape the rush of the city. Least favourite pizza topping?"

"Anything with sardines. My favourite movie?"

"The Breakfast Club. What was Chemistry homework?"

Sarah gave him the most incredulous look he'd ever seen.

"Chuck, what does that have to do with my cover profile?" she asked him.

"Absolutely nothing, I just need to remember if I did it or not." He threw in a patented Bartowski half-smile; a slight shrug of the shoulders, with eyes as innocent as a baby.

"Stoichiometry revision," she acquiesced. "You seem like you're calming down."

"Trust me, I'm a duck," he replied.

"I'm sorry?" she asked in confusion.

"Y'know, a duck," he began explaining, "It means, that on the surface, I look calm, but underneath…"

He brought his hands under his chin, and began mimicking a panicked paddling motion.

"I think the Intersect might be getting to you," she said with extreme worry.

"What? No! I was…"

"Shh, they're coming," she hushed him.

"They're here?" he yelped. "Okay, okay. Stay cool Chuck, don't freak out," he said to himself.

Devon and Ellie weaved between tables, both looking fresh and well groomed. At 18, Devon was already topping 6"2', with the broad shoulders expected of an athlete of his calibre… or if tonight proves it, a _spy_ of his calibre.

"Devon! Ellie!" Chuck exclaimed.

"Hey guys, sorry we're late," Devon apologised.

Chuck got to his feet; a courtesy bred into him by his parents, and took the crushing handshake that Devon offered.

"Whoa, Chuck, pretty gentle grip you got there, man."

"Oh Devon, please, you know your handshakes are _way_ too strong," said Ellie. "Wow, Sarah, don't you look great!"

"What, this? This was nothing," Sarah replied humbly, lightly swatting away the compliment with her hand.

"No, honestly!" Ellie exclaimed. "It makes me feel terrible, I just came from practice, and I only had a quick shower…"

"Babe," Devon cut-in. "Relax, you both look great, now come on, sit down."

As Devon was pulling out Ellie's chair, Chuck couldn't help but think about how stupid this entire mission seemed. There was absolutely no way Devon could be a spy. Then again, the first time he saw Sarah, he thought the exact same thing, with just an extra rush of hormones.

Chuck's mind was struggling to stay stable. Give him taking down a dictatorship; give him disarming a nuclear bomb. Give him anything, _anything_ that isn't being undercover on a double date with Sarah, his sister, and Devon, and he'd take it.

The night moved on a brisk pace. Light conversation floated between the four of them, carrying them all the way to the arrival of their food. Of course, Ellie had begun to gently nudge Sarah into joining the cheerleader squad, while Devon and Chuck sat idly by, unable to find something to even share the briefest anecdote over. It wasn't the fact that Chuck was too nervous about spiking Devon's drink, but the fact that outside of this mission, they were from two vastly different worlds. Devon was at the top of the food chain, the guy that everyone loved and adored. Whereas Chuck was much further down that chain, even if he didn't consider himself to be on the chain at all.

Chuck racked his brain to find any kind of conversation starter. He could talk about sports, but that conversation would die the moment that he had to use his non-existent knowledge of the sporting world. School was a dead end too. Devon was a year above him, and besides, he knew it was lame to talk about school outside of its confines.

"So… uh, Chuck, have you got any particular colleges in mind?" Devon asked, after several drawn out awkward moments.

Thanking his lucky stars, Chuck eased his way into the conversation.

"Stamford, actually," he answered. "Yeah, I was looking into doing Electrical Engineering."

"Oh, awesome bro!" Devon boomed. "You've got a goal, dude. Work towards it!"

Chuck gave a nervous chuckle, caught off guard by Devon's effortless banter. It was hard to believe that he was a suspected enemy agent. Then again, Devon's unassuming nature would've been a perfect reason to make him an agent.

"Yeah. Ellie's always bugging me about how much time I spend on the computer," he added. "I thought, might as well make it a career choice then!"

Ellie was much too preoccupied with a glowing recollection of a spontaneous cruise around the city after cheerleading practice with the entire squad. However, the same could not be said for Sarah. Chuck had suspected that she had an ear in both conversations, and as she noticed a lull grow in his conversational efforts, she gave him a sharp nudge with her knee.

"Forgive me, Devon!" Chuck blurted. "See, I… ah, I never asked you what you had planned for college."

"Oh, well, I'm hoping to get into med school, at UCLA, but uh," he paused, letting a remorseful look slip onto his face. "I think I might be taking another career path."

Alarm bells rang in Chuck's head. There it was; Chuck's first clear sign that Devon had something worth investigating. On cue, Sarah gave him another subtle nudge, egging him on to finish his objective.

"Uh, you'll have to excuse me," Sarah announced. "I have to go to the little girls room," putting on the most innocent smile she could muster.

"Oh! I'll come with you!" Ellie volunteered almost immediately.

_And she didn't believe me when I told her that girls always go to bathroom together._

Chuck couldn't help but shoot Sarah a small 'I told you so' glance, which was met by a stern 'get on with it!' glare.

That was his opening. With Ellie out of the picture, he could spike Devon's drink and search his pockets.

As covertly as he could, he fished a tiny vial out of his pocket, wedging it between his fingers so he could use it at a moments notice. In anticipation of the act, his heart began thumping rapidly. This had to go smoothly, or else he'd be made, and this mission, not to mention his entire life, would end. Steeling himself, he put on his calmest face, and conjured up a distraction.

"Hey, Devon," he whispered. "I didn't want to bring this up, but ever since you walked in here, that girl, that girl over there," he said quietly, tilting his head at a table behind Devon. "She's been checking you out all night."

"What? No way dude, you're joshin' me," he said in disbelief.

"Seriously!" he exclaimed. "No, wait! Don't look now!" Chuck burst.

"Chuck, come on. I think I know how to check out a girl with a bit of subtlety," Devon said with confidence.

Flexing his torso, he turned in his chair, back straight, pretending to loosen his spine. For a few moments, Devon's gaze would be averted, opening up a perfect window for Chuck to dose his drink. In a surprisingly fluid motion, he crushed the cap of the vial, and emptied it into Devon's drink, without a single look of suspicion from anyone in the entire diner. The liquid barely changed the soda's colour, turning it from a harmless beverage, into a knockout drink in one stealthy move.

"Bro, I do not know where you got the idea from, but that chick is _not _checking me out," Devon said with a tiny hint of disappointment. "Plus, I think that _chick_, is old enough to be my mom, man!"

"Is she?" Chuck asked with feigned naivety. "Sorry man, I must've read that wrong."

"All good bro, no harm done," he smiled. "Honestly though, with skills as shocking as yours, it's truly a wonder how you got someone like Sarah to come on this date with you."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, with full sincerity.

"Not to be offensive or anything, but… you're kind of a nerd, Chuckles. Don't get me wrong, a handsome nerd, but you're still a nerd." Devon's tone clearly had no harmful intent in it, but Chuck still took it to heart.

"Well, you know, sometimes, the nerd gets the girl," he croaked defensively.

"Not in high-school bro," Devon countered. "I mean, not to say that you bribed her to say yes or anything. I'm just really curious as to why she agreed to come with you tonight."

_ Because she works for the CIA, and so do I._

"Maybe it's my charm?" he smiled unknowingly.

"I'll admit, charm runs in your family," Devon agreed. "Your sister definitely has it. That, and other things," he added with a wink.

Chuck fought back the urge to open a giant serving of kung fu on Devon for that. Instead, as he watched Devon lift the soda towards his mouth, he settled for what would follow.

Devon's eyelids fluttered as the chemical started to take effect. Slowly, he put the glass onto the table, fighting against the sudden light-headedness that was no doubt pulling him towards the floor. Chuck rose from his seat, and came to his side, holding him steady, but at the same time, checking his pockets for anything that he could use to confirm his allegiance. All Chuck could grab was his wallet, phone, and a small emergency phone battery set. By the time he had relinquished everything that could be of use, the girls had returned, and Ellie ran straight to him.

"Devon? Honey?" Ellie said with grave concern. "Devon! Honey, wake up!" She began to shake him, pulling eyes from every corner of the diner. "Chuck! What happened?"

"I-I-I-" he stuttered. He could feel the words rising in his throat, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to say them. He took a breath, just barely able to bring himself to lie to his sister. "He just started getting woozy, I think it might be the food."

"Oh, God, we've got to get him to his parents," she exclaimed. "They're doctors, they'll be able to take care of him."

"Don't worry, Ellie, I'll get him to his car," Chuck grunted as he heaved Devon's delirious body from the chair. Without hesitation, Sarah came to his aid, wrapping his other arm around her shoulders. "Ellie, you're going to have to drive him, I don't have my permits yet," Chuck said.

"Oh my God, yeah okay," Ellie hyperventilated. "Let me just… let me just take care of the bill, and I'll meet you at his car!"

"Nice work, Chuck," Sarah congratulated him as they both heaved Devon's limp, unconscious body out of the diner. "I knew you had it in you."

* * *

><p>"It'll take a while to pull the data off of his phone, but we'll find out if your precious 'Captain Awesome' is a Game agent or not," Casey rumbled.<p>

The mission had been a success. Ellie had driven Devon back home to his parents, and was yet to come back to the apartment. All that was left now, was the debriefing.

"All right," Casey began. "I'm not too fond of debriefings, so I'll get to the point. Bartowski, Walker says you didn't screw up. Not that you should have, considering the mission, but knowing you, you would've found a way to blow it." The small pride he had in completing the mission was stamped out, but he took refuge in the fact that no one was hurt. It still stung a bit having to lie to his sister, though. Deceiving her like he did tonight took so much courage, and no matter how many times he told himself it was for her own good, he still felt rotten.

"Debriefing over, now get some rest, the both of you. Training session starts at 0600 tomorrow," Casey grunted commandingly.

Chuck saw himself out of the apartment, trudging gloomily past the fountain. He was dreading what tomorrow would bring, seeing as it was going to be filled with intense fitness training, as well as sparring, and weapons training. It all seemed to loom over his head like a dark, grey cloud.

"Chuck?" rang a voice, stopping him just as he was about to unlock his door. He turned, and saw Sarah standing in a modest top and shorts with her shining blonde hair loosely held back into a ponytail. Her hands were running over one another, denoting an emotion that he didn't know she was capable of feeling. Anxiety.

"What is it?" he replied gently.

"Did you mean what you said tonight?" she asked curiously.

"You mean the social expert thing?" he said with a tinge of regret.

"Yeah," she nodded.

"Look, Sarah," he began, careful as to how he would answer her.

"Chuck, I'm seriously asking you," she cut in. "I need to know."

"I…" he stammered. "…I just meant that, you haven't exactly been learning how to make friends your entire life."

"You mean I've spent most of my teenage life learning how to kill people more than learning how to talk to them," she clarified bluntly.

"Well… yeah," he admitted, slightly stunned by her candidness. "It's not your fault. I mean, you got sucked into it. You didn't have a choice!"

"You don't get it, Chuck," she shot back. "I should be able to talk to people! I'm meant to be a spy. I'm meant to able to blend in, and act exactly the way I need to act."

"Sarah, you are able to talk to people," he reassured her. "I mean, look at us, right now. We're talking, right?"

"It's different with you," she muttered.

"How? You've known me all of four weeks, and I don't think you've been acting weird or anything," he told her.

"It's just different, okay?" she burst, her cheeks beginning to burn red. "Look, forget it. We both need to rest for tomorrow," she grumbled. "Goodnight, Chuck."

"Wait, Sarah…" he called after her.

"What, Chuck?" she asked sharply.

"Captain Awesome… Devon, do you reckon he's with the Game?" The question had been truly plaguing him all night, and until he knew for certain, he was sure it wasn't going to stop.

"I don't know, Chuck," she replied calmly, before sighing deeply. "For your sake though, I hope he isn't."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Oh dear Thor, this one was in the works for months. It's not much I know, but it took me four tries to get it out in a way that I was completely satisfied with. If it's not too much to ask, a simple review would be great. You know, let me know if I'm doing something wrong, or if I'm missing something. It all helps. Especially necro-wulf, you totally gave me a new spin to how the Game works. So thanks for that, man. Thanks for reading! :)<strong>_


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